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You really got me amp settings — Marshall DSL1HR

The The kinks guitar tone for “You really got me”, dialed in for a Marshall DSL1HR with a Epiphone SG Standard. Studio version, Kinks (1964)

Original rig

Harmony Meteor guitar → Elpico AC55 amp with SLASHED speaker cone (razor-sliced for proto-fuzz distortion) → slaved into Vox AC30. No pedals — the distortion came entirely from the damaged speaker cone vibrating.

Raw, buzzy, torn-cone proto-fuzz — aggressive, gated, snarling distortion with midrange bite. The birth of rock distortion.

Amp settings — Marshall DSL1HR

CHANNELUltra Gain (Green/Crunch mode)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	3

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The original tone came from a physically damaged speaker cone — you cannot replicate true torn-speaker fuzz from any normal amp. The DSL1HR's Ultra Gain channel on Crunch mode delivers aggressive, raw distortion that captures the snarling midrange character. Your SG's humbuckers are hotter than Davies' single-coil Harmony Meteor, so gain is pulled back to 6 (vs original ~7) to avoid mud, and bass dropped to 4 to keep the attack tight and buzzy rather than thick. Mid pushed to 7 because that angry midrange bark IS the tone. Reverb dead — the original was bone dry.

PRO TIPThe entire magic is in the RIGHT HAND — all downstrokes, hard attack, slightly muted with the heel of your palm grazing the strings near the bridge. That percussive, aggressive picking technique is 50% of the snarl. If you want closer to the real torn-cone fuzz character, a silicon Fuzz Face-style pedal (running into the Clean channel with amp gain at 2) would get you there.

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These settings are for a Marshall DSL1HR. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.